I have two perspectives on this question – one from attending YLS, and the other based on the data my company has collected.

1. From the perspective of a student, YLS skews very strongly in favor of certain backgrounds/characteristics. The most prominent seems to be a very strong academic background (particularly advanced degrees – PhDs, Masters, or at least a significant piece of scholarly work like a senior thesis).

A large chunk of the class is older (very few go straight through from college), and most have taken off 2+ years based on my experience.

A lot of students come from backgrounds in consulting/finance, and a lot of students come from Teach For America (TFA).

2. Based on data gathered from YLS students – 3.85+ undergraduate GPA and 170+ on LSAT seem to be the threshold numbers (there are far fewer accepted students with GPAs/LSAT scores below these thresholds). Also a preference (certainly when compared with other law schools) for students with advanced degrees and significant scholarly work. Otherwise, nothing particularly notable.

If you want to talk with someone about applying to YLS, we have the former director of admissions on our team – Jean – you can set up a free consultation anytime.